Focus On: Patient Identification and Matching

Every patient deserves to have their health information tell a complete and accurate story at every step in their care journey. As the leading advocate for the adoption of a nationwide patient identification strategy, AHIMA recognizes that eliminating patient identification and matching (PIM) errors is essential to better safety and care outcomes. The skills and expertise of health information professionals are essential for building a safer and more effective PIM process. As the healthcare industry advocates for universal PIM standards, patients, care teams, and payers will depend on the health information professionals to create a seamless connection between accurate health information and the right patient, to ensure the integrity of health data, and to safeguard patients’ access to their own healthcare records across all care settings throughout their lifetimes.

Advocate for PIM

We encourage individuals to let their voices be heard through the AHIMA’s Advocacy and Public Policy Center. Learn how you can get involved to advocate on this issue and stay informed about AHIMA’s latest and ongoing efforts to ensure better outcomes for patients.

PIM at Your Fingertips

Bookmark this page as a navigable resource for PIM-related articles, events, and other resources from across the organization and the HIM community.

Highlights on Patient Identification and Matching

‘If Patients Only Knew…’

HIM tackles the threat of patient misidentification. ‖ Brandi Hunsaker, RHIT, HIMS EHR director at Banner Health, has spent over 20 years in the health information management profession. When she went to see her doctor prior to undergoing an outpatient procedure, her internal alarm bells went off when she noticed that the home address listed on a prescription print-off was not her own.
“I called my doctor’s office and I said, ‘I think my information has been overlaid with another patient in your office,’” Hunsaker says. When the person on the other end of the phone didn’t know what an overlay was…

Who Are You? The Quest for a Unique Patient Identifier

Advocacy Brings Progress for Patient Matching

The HIM View for 2020

How Inclusive Is Your Data?

All PIM Content

Why Patient Identity Management is Critical for COVID-19 Surveillance

In just a few short months, the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have put the entire healthcare system under an extraordinary amount of stress.

‘If Patients Only Knew…’

Five Trends in Patient Matching for 2020

Increased focus on patient identification and matching challenges and the downstream effects on outcomes and cost.

ECRI Institute: Patient Matching Is a Leading Patient Safety Concern

By Mary Butler Patient safety experts at the ECRI Institute were concerned enough about patient matching in electronic health records (EHRs) to put it on their annual “Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations” this year, for the first time since 2016. Lorraine Possanza, DPM, JD, MBE, program director, Partnership for Health IT Patient